Supply bobbins or spools for storing a variety of different products for use in a variety of different industries. For example, it has been known to use bobbins for storing a length of electrical wire or cable, wherein the wire and cable may be braided in a known way through the use of a braiding machine. In particular, the cable or wire is initially wound about the bobbin so that it may be unwound for later use. However, oftentimes the entire length of cable or wire is not used, wherein the remainder of the cable or wire (or the remnants) remains wound on the bobbin.
Generally, the bobbins are constructed so that they may be re-used. However, before additional cable or wire can be wound on the used bobbin, any unused or remnant cable or wire must be removed. In the past, the remnant cable or wire was typically removed manually using a knife. However, there are several disadvantages of this process. First, manually using a knife is time-consuming because only one bobbin can be cleared of remnant material at a time. Second, this process poses a significant safety risk to the person using the knife. Third, the knife used may cut or scratch the surface of the bobbin, thereby affecting its ability to be re-used, or, if it is re-used, potentially causing damage to the cable or wire that is subsequently wound on the bobbin. Further still, in cases where the wire or cable is extremely thick or made from a harder material, manual removal of remnant cable or wire with a knife may be unfeasible.
Therefore, there is a need for an apparatus and method for removing remnants from a bobbin that solves these problems, while being economical and easy to manufacture and install.